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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602532">Off Track</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/megaotaku98/pseuds/megaotaku98'>megaotaku98</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crushes, Getting Together, Heartbreak, M/M, MinChan rise bitch, angst because Minho is a sad boi who didnt get the girl, sorry im making hyunjin a het</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:36:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25602532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/megaotaku98/pseuds/megaotaku98</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Minho liked her so much.</p>
<p>But she chose Hyunjin, not him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin &amp; Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hyunjin/the girl from the mv</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>226</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Off Track</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello hello hello!<br/>So I started planning this not long after the On Track mv dropped, no joke. Why didn't I post it until now? Because I'm lazy, and because I had to deal with online school and that was its own monster. And I'm lazy. And I had other projects I was working on. And I forgot this existed a couple times.<br/>Regardless, it's here now!!!<br/>And like, I know at the time everyone was saying "oh it should be hyunin jeongin has a crush on hyunjin!!" and like, i see you, i SEE YOU.  I do love me some hyunin.<br/>BUT. I raise you this:</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>To say Minho was thrown off track was an understatement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hyunjin stopped the scene, grabbing onto her arm, and everyone was looking at him, waiting to see what would happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And there, on the spot, Hyunjin dropped the most genuine confession Minho had ever heard; the boy spilled his heart out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And, moved by his words, she accepted it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Minho felt his heart shatter a little bit, because he thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the one she liked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But in the end, Hyunjin won. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho wasn't mad towards him, Hyunjin was his best friend and he'd never let a girl get between them. He accepted his defeat with his chin held high, congratulated the two, and supported them. But still, it hurt. It hurt a lot, seeing them hold hands and share kisses and snuggle up next to each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a while, Minho needed a break. He was suffocating in his own heartbreak and he just needed to get away. So he spent more time in the clubroom. There was always one other person who hung out in the clubroom- Bang Chan, who was in charge of sound. He would go there every day at lunch and just listen to music the whole time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They weren't close, but they were friends. Chan was good company. He accepted Minho's presence with a smile and an outstretched hand, holding out one of his airpods as he said, "new Ed Sheeran album, wanna listen?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And so, this became Minho's new regular. He spent lunch in the clubroom, getting song recommendations from Chan and listening to music with Chan and not thinking about the fact that he didn't win her over. It was the perfect distraction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, they still had to finish the movie- which they did, and then they had a small viewing party during club hours to watch the final product. As Minho saw Hyunjin holding her hand he felt that familiar pang in his heart; but then Chan was calling out his name and was patting the empty spot next to him. Minho quickly walked over, smiling at Chan, who smiled back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The movie was spectacular. It came out exactly as everyone had hoped. Hyunjin's camera work was fantastic, the editing was great, the acting looked almost professional.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan leaned over and whispered, "you look great."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho didn't know why, but hearing that compliment from Chan made his chest feel all warm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thanks," he whispered back, "you did a great job too."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He peeked over to see Chan look a little bashful, as he answered, "thank you, I'm really proud of how it turned out."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Both of you shut up," hissed Changbin, which made both Minho and Chan start snickering, but they stopped talking and continued to watch in silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A week went by, and Hyunjin asked Minho to hang out, all three of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It'll be just like old times!" he said, "we both miss seeing you!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho missed them too, although he wasn't sure if he could handle being around them yet. Still, he accepted, and they decided to go see a movie. Minho hoped that it wouldn't go the way he feared it would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except it went </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> that way, and Minho felt like the most pathetic third wheel the entire time. She and Hyunjin were all giggly, there was so much PDA, and they kept clinging to each other. Minho suppressed a woeful groan, and pulled out his phone to text Chan 'im suffering Dx'. Chan responded quickly with his condolences.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho thought about how he should have asked if he could bring Chan along. Better to suffer with someone else than suffer alone. Oh well. He kept his focus on the movie, and not on the whispers coming from beside him. Not on the kissing sounds either. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At lunchtime on another day, Minho just couldn't keep his thoughts to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Am I a bad person for still feeling jealous and a little resentful?" he questioned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan looked up at him, and asked "what do you mean?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho sighed. "I just….of course I'm happy for Hyunjin, he's been my best friend for years and I'd never let a girl come between us. But…..why couldn't it have been me? I thought….I thought she was going to choose me. Is there something I'm missing? Am I not good enough? I don't understand."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't say that," Chan said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho blinked at him. "What?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't say you aren't good enough," Chan repeated, "we all saw that confession, I probably would have accepted too, it was very moving. I don't think it was anything that you did or didn't do. Anyone would be lucky to date you, Minho."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho felt himself blush. "Oh...thank you. That's really sweet of you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan smiled at him. "Just speaking the truth. Hey, there's a new album out that I think you'd like, wanna listen?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan held out one of his earbuds. Minho grabbed it and put it in his ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I absolutely want to hear it," he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent the rest of lunch listening to music. And Minho was reminded how nice it was being around Chan. He loved his other friends of course, but Chan just felt extra... refreshing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Several weeks passed, Minho slowly hung out with her and Hyunjin again. Slowly, he was moving on. Each day that went by, it hurt less and less. And when it did hurt, then he just went to find Chan, who distracted him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Several weeks passed, and Minho started to find his thoughts occupied by someone new. It felt extremely ironic, going from crushing on one friend to crushing on another. But lo and behold, it was Chan's smiling face that began to occupy his dreams.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn't even spent time with Chan outside of school, but they still managed to become close enough that Minho shifted his feelings from her to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Knowing his luck so far, Chan definitely didn't like him back. Minho could accept that. He was fine continuing to be close with Chan and let his crush eventually fade.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One day, Hyunjin invited Minho to come over and spend the night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's been a while since we hung out, just the two of us. I think a bro night is long overdue, don't you agree?" Hyunjin said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho grinned at him. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Way</span>
  </em>
  <span> overdue. You've been in girlfriend land for weeks, I thought I'd lost you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hyunjin laughed and Minho did as well, ruffling Hyunjin's hair for good measure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later, at Hyunjin's house, they were taking turns playing Breath of the Wild on his switch, passing the controller back and forth each time Link died.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So you've been hanging out with Chan-hyung a lot, right?" Hyunjin asked, and Minho nearly dropped the controller in surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Um- well- i- uh-" he stuttered, not knowing how to answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's okay," Hyunjin cut in, "I get it. I know you liked her as much as I do. If I were in your shoes I probably would have done the same thing."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho sighed, "...yeah...you basically got it on the nose. I am happy for you, you know I am, it was just….too much."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you still like her?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No, actually. I was able to move on. I just see her as a friend now."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's good!" Hyunjin said, smiling, "I'd hate to be the reason you were broken-hearted for the rest of your life."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh you'll never be forgiven," Minho replied, snickering, "you, Hwang Hyunjin, are now my sworn enemy. And I will kick your ass….after I kill this guardian- shit. Your turn. Damn lasers…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho passed the remote to Hyunjin, who took over and made Link run off in a completely different direction than Minho had gone. The conversation dropped for a while, as they focused on the game. While Hyunjin was in the middle of fighting a Lynel, he asked "so do you like Chan-hyung now?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho's face heated up. "What- where did you jump to that conclusion from?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I've seen how you look at him sometimes, when we're all at club. You used to look at her that way," Hyunjin answered, before letting out a laugh, "I used to hate that look. I love you man, but you were still my rival."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh really? I'm that obvious, huh?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hyung, your face is like an open book. I hope he likes you back though, you deserve to be happy."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thanks Jinnie, that means a lot from you"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Plus, then we can go on double dates!!" Hyunjin said excitedly, "wouldn't that be so much fun??"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho gave him a playful shove but they were both laughing. It was a good night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Minho left the next morning, Hyunjin told him not to wait too long to tell Chan how he felt. Minho told him to shut his bratty little mouth (even though he was right).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And, to his credit, he tried. He didn't realize confessing could be so scary! He chickened out a total of seven times. How the hell did Hyunjin do it on the spot in front of their whole club? Minho couldn't get the words out when it was just him and Chan alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would be the same each time: he would muster up the courage, say Chan's name to get his attention, Chan would smile at him, waiting for what he was going to say, Minho's heart did a funny dance and his mouth said something that was anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> a confession.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He thought about maybe writing a confession letter but he couldn't figure what to write without it sounding stupid. Plus, he figured it would better to say it in person anyways, so in the end he just had to kick his own ass into gear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One morning, Minho decided. Today was going to be the day. He would tell Chan how he felt no matter what.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tried in the morning; however Chan was absorbed in a new album from The Weeknd and was lost to reality. So that didn't work. Which normally was fine, but Minho was trying to confess his feelings, goddammit! He kinda needed Chan to be paying attention! But then Chan saw Minho, and held out one earbud, and Minho just accepted it with a blush.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho tried again at lunchtime, but Chan was taking a nap. Minho knew he had issues with insomnia, so the last thing he wanted to do was wake Chan up. He'd have to wait until the end of the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The end of the day came, and Minho was starting to get desperate as he ran to catch up to Chan as he headed to the clubroom, headphones already in his ears as usual. Minho tugged on the sleeve of his uniform and Chan took his headphones out, finally giving Minho his full attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I really need to talk to you," Minho said, a little out of breath from sprinting from his classroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What is it?" Chan asked, and Minho just then noticed they were standing by a cherry tree. How cliché.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho took a deep breath. And then another deep breath. He could do this!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I….I like you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was quiet, and Minho opened his eyes, having subconsciously closed them while he spoke his confession.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan gave him his usual sweet and gentle smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know," he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho blinked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You- you know? What do you mean you know?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well... you're not exactly...subtle. It was kind of obvious, with how often I saw you staring in my peripheral vision."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho felt himself blush.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hyunjin said the same thing….wait, if you knew why didn't you say anything?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan shrugged. "Wanted to see what you would do. If you would confess or not. Felt like it would be unfair to call you out before you were ready to tell me."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's….really considerate of you, actually," Minho said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I like you too, by the way."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What? Wait, seriously?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan just nodded, smiling even more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'd be a fool not to. You know how amazing you are, right?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho's face was on </span>
  <em>
    <span>fire</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he was sure he was beet red. He looked down and shuffled his feet, not knowing where to go from here. He had planned this all out expecting a rejection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minho felt a hand on the side of his face, guiding it upwards by his chin and the next thing he knew he was looking into Chan's eyes as Chan was all up in his space. He looked kinda nervous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can I…...kiss you?" Chan asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unable to form words, Minho just nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan leaned in and Minho let his eyes flutter shut as he felt Chan's mouth against his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The kiss was gentle, Chan's lips were soft and Minho's hand moved up to rest on Chan's shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For months before, Minho used to imagine kissing her, used to think about leaning down to get to her height. Chan was about as tall as him, so he hardly had to lean down at all. Somehow, that was even nicer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a first kiss, this was probably the best out of all other first kisses. Minho had never had a first kiss before but he just knew this one would blow them all away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They pulled apart eventually, and continued walking towards the clubroom. Minho reached out and took hold of Chan's hand along the way, and Chan squeezed it tightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they walked, Chan held one of his earbuds out to Minho.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"New album release, wanna listen?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Smiling, Minho put the headphone in his ear, letting the music swirl through his mind.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you liked it be sure to leave a comment and a kudos!!<br/>follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/goldenjung9497">twitter</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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